The administration at the University of Toronto was recently enlightened on why two separate washrooms are generally established for men and women sharing co-ed residencies.
The University is temporarily changing its policy on gender-neutral bathrooms after two separate incidents of “voyeurism” were reported on campus September 15 and 19. Male students within the University’s Whitney Hall student residence were caught holding their cellphones over female students’ shower stalls and filming them as they showered.
Melinda Scott, dean of students at the University of Toronto, told The Daily Wire that campus police had been contacted immediately and worked with residence staff to “support impacted students and ensure the safety of the Residences.”
“Given the serious nature of these incidents and the impact on directly affected students, we made the decision to specifically designate some washrooms in Whitney Hall for those who identify as men and those who identify as women,” Scott said.
“While [UC Residences understand] that the designation to some washrooms as male, female or gender-neutral is a change, we do not feel that it is an undue inconvenience. There will be no change in the residence fees as a result of this change,” explained Scott in a statement.
Male students within the University’s Whitney Hall student residence were caught holding their cellphones over female students’ shower stalls and filming them as they showered.
The Daily Wire contacted the University dean and staff members and asked them how they could be unfeeling enough to force men to use men’s washrooms and women to use women’s washrooms.
“What does the University have to say to this?” The Daily Wire demanded. “How could the University be so intolerant?”
The University defended itself, asserting that “more than 50% of the washrooms in the residence remain gender-neutral.”
Of course the University maintained it would not be so intolerant as to limit men and women to designated bathrooms. Instead, it is a “temporary measure” to “provide a safe space for the women who have been directly impacted by the incidents of voyeurism and other students who may feel more comfortable in a single gender washroom in the wake of these events.”
This makes perfect sense: some students are bigots and would prefer to not get naked in the presence of strangers of the opposite sex.
The University concluded that while the changes were made in the specific residence hall of the voyeurism incidents, “there has been no change to the designation of gender-neutral washrooms in the other University College Residences or elsewhere on campus as a result of these incidents.”
Despite the university’s attempts to downplay the incidents, The Varsity reported that the atmosphere at the residence hall had “changed,” as was “evident from speaking with its residents.”
One freshman told the paper that the issue “is not strictly about someone taking pictures; it is about a violation of the trust that our residence experience is based on.”
Another student told the paper that she was “disappointed” that the incident happened. “I have more faith in people than that,” she said.